Oil-pumping system



J oLlPHAN'T. OIL PUMPING SYSTEM. FILED JUNE 28,

Patented Dice, 26, 1922@ JOHN OLFHANT, 0F CLCAGO, ILLNS, ASSGNOR 'lOSULLVAN MACHINERY CGMPANY, it CORPORATION OF lVASSACHUSETTS. l

@lL-PUIVXPNG- SYSTEM.

Application filed .Tune 28,

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, Jorrit tmrifienr, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State ot lllinois, have invented certain new and useful improvementsin Uil-Pumping Systems, of which the following isA a i'ull, clear, andexact specication. l

My invention relates to oil pumping systems.

lt has for its object to pump oil or similar material in an improvedmanner. A furn ther object is to provid-e improved means whereby isobtainable troni the oil and utilized in the operation of th pumpingsystem, or mateA available ior other purposes. More specilically, myinvention has for its object to provide an improved oil pumping systemci the air ".ft pump type wherein is liberated from the oil and suppliedto the compressor, the excess gas being supplied as incl to thecoing'iressor driving unit, or supplied to a gasoline er; tractingsystem, both means ot utilizing` the excess gas being available whendesired.

ln the accompai'iying drawings, l have shown for purposes oitillustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice,ilhistrating my improved system diagraminatioally in plan, the booster,however, being shown in vertical section and enlarged to facilitateillustration.

ln this illustrative construction, it will be noted that l have shown acompressor 1 adapted to compress either air or gas, and connectedthrough a suitable connection 2 with a receiver 3 which is in turnconnected through a pipe connection l having a valve 5 therein, with thedown pipe 6 of a suitable airlitt pump (not shown) disposed in the well.As in the usual air li'l't system, the air admitted through the pipe 6is mixed by the pump with the oil in the well and the Amixture iscarried up through an out` side pipe 7 into tl e booster casing S, wherein the mixture strikes against an umbrella top 9, the oil after passingunderneath a baille plate 10 passing out through a discharge pipe 11,while the air passes out through a cont-rolling or escape valve 12 etany suitable type, herein connected through pipe 13 to the intake oi'the compressor.

By applying such an an litt system to 1917. Serial No. 177,663.

pumping' oil, Iiind that the air which is propelled through this circuitfrom the compressor, into the well, and back again into the intake otthe compressor, gradually becomes charged with the gas thrown oft fromthe oil until the air has been eliminated and the gas remains as thecompressible element. Further, l nd that as the gas comes in contactwith the oil over and over again, it accumulates in a volume greaterthan is necessary to do the work of pumping. l have accordingly providedmeans whereby the excess gas may be utilized. Obviously, the meanswhereby these improved results may be obtained may assume various forms.ln my illustrative construction, however, it will be noted that a pipeconnection 14 is made to the pipe 13 through an open threeway T-joint15, and that this connection 14 leads to a suitable reservoir or tank 16in which the excess gas may be collected. lt desired, suitableconnection, preferably including this tank, may also be made, as througha pipe connection 17, with the intake of a suitable gas engine 18operatively connected to and driving the compressor 1. rlhus, it will benoted that any excess gas tlowing through the connection 14- mayl becollected in the tank or, it desired, passed to the intake oi the gasengine 18, in suoli a manner as to supply the fuel necessary to drivethe latter and operate the system.

li desired, the excess gas, instead of being supplied to the gas engine18, may be supplied, preferably from the tank 16, through a pipeconnection 19, to a gasoline extracting system, herein indicated by thecompressor 20, in order to extract the gasoline therefrom in a wellknown manner, such an arrangement being desirable in those installationswherein the compressor 1 is driven by steam or electricity. ln workingupon oil rich in gas, however, l prefer to drive the compressor by a gasengine, as by the utilization of such an engine it is possible to makethe pumping system supply its own fuel and at the same time to extractgasoline from the remainder oit the excess gas, thereby causing thesystem to operate at the greatest eiiciency. llhile in certaininstances, the use oit a tank such as the tank 16 may be unnecessary,the same is, however, also usually used in view of its storage capacityand its steadying effect upon the supply. Obviously, in the use of sucha system any desirable valves, such for instance as the hand operatedvalves 2l, 22, and 23, may be provided at suitable points in the system,as, for example, in the several pipe connections of the tanlr, in orderthat any desired element or elements may be cut out of operation, and,if desired'7 suitable check valves may also be provided to prevent backiow, a check valve 9A, ior example, being provided in the connectionbetween the tanlr and the engine. is usual, a suitable valve 25 may alsobe provided in the pipe connection 13 in order to cut out the gasutilizing system, the booster escape valve l2 then being made to exhaustto the atmosphere in a well known manner.

In the use oi' my improvement, it will be noted that the system iscapable of being operated at a relatively low operating pressure, afeature highly desirable in pumping oil, and that the well knownadvantages arising from the utilization oi instead of compressed air asthe compressible element in the compressor, are obtained. Attention isalso directed to the `tact that, due to the provision of the booster, itis possible to deliver the oil through a horizontal line to a surfacetank without the provision of separate lifting pumps. lt will also beevident that a plurality oi wells may deliver into a common maincommunicating with the discharge pipes 1l, and that a plurality ot wellsmay be operated, when desired, 'from one compressor or central powerplant, it only being necessary to connect a plurality of lines to thereceiver 3 at the power plant. This power plant, it will also beobserved, instead of wasting the gas through discharging the same to theatmosphere, also'acts to supply its own fuel and at the same time,When'the oil is rich in Qas, acts to extract the gasoline from theexcess oil in such a manner as to producey an exceedingly valuablelby-product, all or" the gas being utilized in one form or another.

While l have in this application specifically described one embodimentwhich my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood thatthis form oi' the saine Vis shown herein for purposes of illustrationand that the invention may be modified and assume various other formswithout departing from its spirit, it being my intention to include allsuch modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

l/Vhat l claim as new and desire to secure l. lin an oil pumping system,in combination, oil pumping mechanism including mechanism for liberatinggas from the oil, and means for utilizing the liberated to operate thesystem.

2. ln an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure fluid liftmechanism including a compressor and a booster connected thereto, a gasdriven power unit, and means for supplying gas thereto l'rom saidbooster.

3. ln an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure fluid liftmechanism including a compressor and a booster connected thereto, astorage tank 'for gas not required in the pumping circuit, and means forsupplyinoP `gas thereto from said booster.

4l. il pumping mechanism comprising pressure fluid lift mechanismincludinga compressor and a booster connected thereto, a gasolineextracting unit, and means "for supplying a variableportion oi the gasfrom said booster to said unit.

5. ln an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure fluid liit pumpingVmechanism including a'compressor and a booster connected thereto, andmeans for supplying'a portion oi thel gas-laden exhaust from the boosterto the compressor intake.

6. ln an oil pumping system, in combinaf tion, a compressor, operativelyconnected mechanism for lifting oil and separating therefrom, and meansfor utilizing the gas liberated "from the oil to operate the systemincluding a connection between said separating mechanism and saidcompressor.

7. ln an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure fluid liftmechanism including` a compressor and a booster connected thereto, aconnection between the booster exhaust and the compressor intake, andmeans for drawing off the excess gas from said connection.

8. ln an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure fluid liftmechanism including a compressor and a booster connected thereto, aconnection between the booster eX- haust and the compressor'intake, agasoline extracting unit, and a connection between the same and saidconnection.

9. ln an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure Huid littmechanism including a compressor and a booster connected thereto, meansfor utilizing the liberated gas as the compressible element in saidcompressor, a gas driven motor unit for said compressor, and meansor'supplying a `portion ot said gas to said unit. l

i0. ln an oil pumping. system, in combination, pressure fluid liftmechanism including a compressor and a booster' connected there` to',means for utilizing the liberated gas as the compressible element insaid compressor, a gasoline extracting'unit, and means for supplying aportion of the gas to saidunit.

il. ln an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure 'duid liittpumping mechanism including a compressor land a booster connectedthereto, means for supplying the gasladen exhaust from the lbooster tothecompressor intake, a gas'engine driving said compressor, and meansfor supplying gas thereto from saidbooster.

12. In an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure fluid liftpumping mechanism including a compressor and a booster connectedthereto, means for supplying the gasladen exhaust from the booster tothe compressor intake, a gas engine driving said compressor, and meansconnected to said first mentioned means for supplying gas thereto fromsaid booster.

13. In an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure fluid liftmechanism including a compressor and a booster connected thereto, aconnection between the booster exhaust and the compressor intake, areservoir connected to said connection, a gas driven compressor drivingmotor, a gasoline extracting unit, and connections between each of saidlast mentioned elements and said reservoir.

14. In an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure Huid liftmechanism including a compressor and a booster connected thereto, aconnection between the booster exhaust and the compressor intake, areservoir connected to said connection, a gas driven compressor drivingmotor, and a connection between said driving motor and said reservoir.

15. In an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure Huid liftmechanism including a compressor and a booster connected thereto, aconnection between the booster exhaust and the compressor intake, areservoir connected to said connection, a gasoline extracting mechanism,and a connection between said extracting mechanism and said reservoir.

16. In an oil pumping system, in combination, pressure fluid liftmechanism including a compressor and a booster connected thereto, meansfor utilizing a portion of the liberated gas as the compressible elementin said compressor, a gas driven motor unit for said compressor, meansfor supplying a portion of said gas to said unit, a gasoline extractingunit, and means for supplying a portion ot the gas to said lastmentioned unit.

17. In an oil pumping system, in combination, an air lift systemcomprising a gascircuit including a compressor, a down pipe, a pump, abooster, and a return pipe from the blooster to the compressor, a gasdriven power unit, a gasoline extraction unit, and means Jor directing aiiow of gas from the return pipe to either the power unit or theextraction unit.

18. In an oil pumping system, in combination, an air lift systemcomprising a gas circuit including a compressor, a down pipe, a pump, abooster, and a return pipe from the booster to the compressor, a gasdriven power unit, a gasoline extraction unit, means for directing apart oi the iow through said return pipe to said power unit, and meansfor directing excess gas to said extraction unit.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOI-IN GLIPHANT.

